Silence is an art Not mastered by all. The secret is to keep your mouth shut, Even when your universe is in chaos, To scream with your eyes, But never your throat, To write all your thoughts, Instead of voicing them, To make them think, With the fewest words, That you’ve bared your soul, To watch and observe, To listen and feel, But not to remark, To build yourself a box in which To bury your words, To sew yourself a mask And wear it daily, To make yourself another self To wear when not alone, a self That smiles and laughs And talks without speaking. Silence is not something that comes naturally, Not to most, Not to me, surprising as it may seem. Silence is a science, a study In self-control, in sadness, In power, in humor, in observation, In humility and pride, in love and hate, In movement, in stillness, a study In opposites. Silence is the science of music, Of religion, of war, Of peace, history, human interaction. Silence is the study of beauty, The science of thought.
